Keith Baker along with Keith Baker Are Instructing Workshops at DMU

Since 2018, Tabletop Vacations has been hosting deeply engaging experiences where professional dungeon masters manage Dungeons & Dragons games in historic castles in the UK and at Landoll’s Mohican Castle. The full-service getaways are especially popular among career game masters who seldom have the chance to actually play themselves, and they often seek advice from the pros on topics ranging from improvisation and puzzle design to managing conflicts at the table.

In response, the coordinators began crafting a structured way to address these questions, which led to the founding of the Dungeon Master Academy. The inaugural event is set for January 2-3, 2026 at a university in Atlanta.

“You can watch thousands of YouTube videos on any topic and gain significant knowledge, but the concept was that there’s just no substitute face-to-face interaction alongside other dungeon masters, where direct communication with expert teachers and your fellow DMs often in the same boat and also want to level up their game,” noted the dean of Dungeon Master University.

Course Offerings and Pricing Tiers

Game masters can choose from options ranging from just under $1,000 to $2.5K, based on the level of access they desire with the instructors. The starting package includes one of four courses:

• Skill Building: Focuses on the essentials of running D&D.
• Campaign Building: Is dedicated to designing extended campaigns.
• Worldbuilding: Concentrates on the crafting of environments.
• Professional Development: Aimed at dungeon masters who seek to understand more about the tabletop profession.

Every class includes two days of classwork spread over 48 hours.

“The courses are created so that you depart having usable skills, increased self-assurance, and many practical techniques,” Carl said. “They’re not just lectures and they’re not just static videos. These are sessions that you can join, absorb insights from, and then go right back home the next week and apply in your regular session.”

Seasoned Educators

The majority of workshops are taught by two professors. Worldbuilding is led by the founder of Monte Cook Games and a renowned campaign designer, together instructing the craft of setting creation.

Career building includes several experts, such as Elisa Teague, a podcast co-host, and a pioneering DM. The expanded teaching staff is meant to provide specialized information to participants with specific goals.

“Various attendees aim to start their own real-play series and display their adventures with the world, others plan to produce and write original content,” Carl explained. “Some just want to ask, How do I get to be a DM at something like a castle event? What capabilities that I need? Is it for everyone?”

Premium Packages

A fifteen hundred dollar premium package provides access to a opening gathering, a welcome gift pack, and a half-hour consultation appointment with a teacher. This represents the first Dungeon Master Academy, though the team has previously run comparable workshops during breaks between game sessions at their immersive experiences.

“You could almost run an full two days just on one-on-one meetings for professional dungeon masters,” Carl observed. “It's unclear if that’s the optimal application of everybody’s time – I believe the structured learning and the lab work is extremely important – but I think it’s going to be one of the most popular parts of the program.”

The $2,500 top package provides an hour of one-on-one time and the possibility to lead a session for five players plus a teacher, who will then give comments and instruction.

“The aim is for the teacher to review whichever aspect is concerned with: I have difficulty with spontaneous decisions or I encounter obstacles in specific fight encounters. May I present a scene for you and get feedback on my areas of proficiency and challenge?” Carl said. “Or maybe they want to obtain critique and information on a particular setting that they’ve been developing.”

Next Steps

Feedback from the first event will help determine subsequent DMU events. Carl suggested that possible changes could include adding more office hours, making it longer to three days, or testing varied class arrangements.

“I expect that we host such events frequently,” Carl said. “I really want to see numerous academy events in a given year, in various locations, and in different countries. The response has been extremely positive. We're extremely satisfied with the results so far and I believe it would be fantastic to be able to organize these in partnership with large gatherings.”